Top quality timber decking requires the same attention to detail as a good interior wood floor. Aside from having to support the weight of people and furniture, decking also needs to be able to withstand the elements, all year round.

Wood is a natural product and without care will start to rot. Preventing this isn't simply a case of treating the wood with a preservative, but the way the wood is put together to form the decking needs care. Without taking care there are several dangers to your decking.

Wood naturally expands and contracts as the temperature and humidity changes, different woods do this at different rates. After a lifetime of working with wood, Ian knows how to build decking to take this in its stride. Dealing with the natural movement of wood isn't simply a question of nailing it down tight, the wood will still stretch and shrink. This leads to creaking and groaning as the decking slowly pulls itself apart.

The other difference between decking and an interior wood floor is the fact that decking will get wet and often (in the British climate) stay wet. This means that decking needs to include drainage to shed any standing water and it needs to non slip in wet conditions.